Emerge USA PAC Endorses Hillary Clinton for President of the United States

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Emerge USA PAC today announced its endorsement of Hillary Rodham Clinton for President of the United States. Emerge USA PAC is the largest Muslim American Federal PAC whose Board of Directors across the nation made its first formal endorsement for President of the United States.

This month, billions of Muslims across the globe, many of which call the United States home, completed the pilgrimage to Hajj and celebrated Eid Al-Adha. Here at home, Muslim Americans embarked on community service during Eid in neighborhoods across the country, helping those in need, assisting the hungry and the sick. During this holy festival, we reflect on the very principles that guide our faith. There has never been a more salient moment to act and protect the very civil rights that allow us to worship openly, give back to our communities, and contribute to the overall fabric of this country. As a bipartisan organization, Emerge USA PAC supports candidates on both sides of the aisle and respects diverse opinions on many issues that exist in the Muslim American community. Our mission is to engage and educate Muslim Americans — politically empowering them to make decisions that will better our communities and pave paths for our children to live in a country where they have the same rights as everyone else. In this election cycle, the safety and security of our community has never been in more danger, and during last night's debate, the choice of who would fight to defend our freedoms was made abundantly clear. Donald Trump directly threatens the values, principles and civil rights of Muslim Americans living here and abroad.

A Donald Trump presidency would be dangerous not only for Muslims, but for immigrants, minority communities, women's rights and our national security. Throughout his campaign, Trump has consistently made inflammatory statements targeted at the Muslim community — he's doubled down on his bigoted proposal to ban 1.5 billion Muslims from entering the country; proposed an "extreme vetting" policy to end immigration from countries that have, "high levels of terrorism" which could include allies like Germany, Belgium, and France; attacked a Muslim Gold Star family whose son made the ultimate sacrifice for our country; suggested our communities and places of worship be consistently monitored; demonized Syrian refugees fleeing violence; and proposed creating a detailed registry of Muslim Americans across the country. We, as Muslim Americans, will forget in November. These proposals are anti-American at their core, and violate the very essence of what our founders foresaw for this great nation. This election is profoundly important to Muslim Americans, our civil rights — our very existence. The choice cannot be more clear. Donald Trump is wholly unfit to lead this country and lacks the character to inspire the next generation of America's leaders.

Today, Emerge USA PAC is proud to endorse Hillary Clinton for President of the United States of America.

Secretary Clinton has a track record of inclusiveness and understands that Muslims have a rich history in this country and are an essential part of the fabric of America, serving as teachers, doctors, nurses, law enforcement, members of the military, and entrepreneurs. And she has a long history of standing with the Muslim American community. As First Lady, she began the tradition of hosting Eid celebrations at the White House during the month of Ramadan. In 2009, she brought that same tradition to the State Department and also appointed the first ever Special Representative to the Muslim community to engage with Muslims around the world.

Hillary Clinton knows this diverse and vibrant community is an asset for our country, and she's proven it. Throughout this campaign, she has stood up to the hateful, dangerous rhetoric of Donald Trump, and she has presented comprehensive plans on the issues that Muslim Americans care about most — from helping small businesses succeed and focusing on education to creating jobs and helping those who need it the most. For all of these reasons, it is clear that with Hillary Clinton, Muslim Americans will have a friend in the White House.